Executive Fellows

from 2020-2021 Dean's Report | UC Riverside School of Business

Message from the Dean

A Network of Distinguished Business Leaders

Executive fellows are selected for their leadership, professional experience, and business expertise. The program was founded in 1992 to connect distinguished business leaders with faculty and students at the UCR School of Business. Executive fellows mentor students in their careers, business ventures, and professional challenges.

Michael L. Zemetra ’93

Tomorrow’s Leaders Understand the Bridge Between Technology and Humanity

Executive Fellow Michael L. Zemetra ’93 shares lessons learned during a successful career across innovative industries

Current UCR School of Business Executive Fellow Michael L. Zemetra ’93 sees parallels in the school’s Executive Fellows program to his own business undergrad experience, when he discovered the difference that a mentor can make. He was somewhat lost about his career direction until he connected with a professor at UCR who encouraged him and gave him confidence. Now a successful executive, Zemetra is returning the favor.

Zemetra is currently the executive vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer of Veritone Inc., a leading provider of artificial intelligence technology. He joined the Executive Fellows, one of the business school’s signature programs, for the 2020-2021 school year, supporting the school’s strategy of bridging theory and practice by sharing real-world experiences.

In fall 2020, he participated in a virtual meet-and-greet with students to talk about his journey from UCR student to the C-suite. He explained that his path was not linear but one that was crafted through careful networking, determination, and resiliency. The students asked questions, which led to a lively discussion surrounding career and life advice.

“I don’t think that kind of attention happens at other schools,” says Zemetra. “I would not normally consider myself to be this super successful person, but I do want to be a resource and give back, to help the next generation who are on the first journeys in terms of a career pathway.”

During the 2021 winter quarter, Zemetra met with students interested in a career in finance and discussed his extensive work with startups and the endless hours he put into taking various companies public. He also took the time to ask students about how they were handling the pandemic and virtual learning, how campus life has changed, and which students were involved in extracurricular activities, such as UCR’s Greek life.

Students also met with Zemetra one-on-one during evening office hours and attended a “Coffee Chat with Mike,” where he discussed working on IPOs and a day in the life of a CFO.

Zemetra’s professional career took him to large content and media companies. Early on in public accounting, he began his career at PwC advising giants in the entertainment business, including The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Lucasfilm. Later, he branched into technology startups and digital media. Until recently, he served as CFO at LiveXLive, a global platform for livestream and on-demand content in music, comedy, and pop culture. In 2020, he joined Veritone, which developed the world’s first operating system for artificial intelligence.

For students concerned about entering the pandemic job market, Zemetra reminds them that “with hard work comes opportunities,” and they should embrace the fast-paced fluidity of technology today.

“Tomorrow’s leaders are going to be those who understand the bridge between humanity and technology,” says Zemetra, who also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council. “As business ambassadors, we have to be almost like psychologists, to tell them it’s going to be OK; there are going to be more opportunities than you can imagine.” – By Darin Estep

Zemetra met with students interested in a career in finance and discussed his extensive work with startups and the endless hours he put into taking various companies public.